Can-opening key



Aug. 3, 1943. T. L. GATS 2,325,601

CAN-OPENING KEY' Filed Aug. 23, 1959 INVENTOR.

Won/(25f, 70/19 BY ATTORNEY.

key can only beremoved by tearing a'hole in the can at the point of the ,W.eld.. l r i The addition of sulphur to the steel, as is well known, materially alters the characteristics of thei steel. These high sulphur steels, commonly referred to as screw 'st0ck'and oificially iden- V referred to as "basic' steel which'is character tified as S; 'A. E. 1112 having a melting or fusion 1 point of 2,000? to'2,200 F. is used for screw ma chine work, because the tool maymore easily cold out itf When this metal is fusedvasby spot 5 welding with anelectric welding machine, it is believ edwthat the sulphur coagulates or causes .7

some otherrearrangement of the metallic stock," iso th at the steel which has passed the melting Q point and then'co'o'led becomes very weak;

With. the above in mind'andreferring to" the eyelet l4 and a welding tip' It is l'ormedof screw stock and is fastened to a canfasuforexample,

I the lid I8 of a, conventional 'ivacuum-packed coff-eecan- 20' by. a spotweld atth-e point 22', which I isthe end of the weld-ing'tip it. This weldma-y be made by even the smallestvof welding machines" as the-' 7, kilowatt, machine which delivers 150 amperesatfi volts'tor thepointbfwelding. By thisweldingpperation, the key- E3 is weakened only at-the point or"- the weld and; as may beseen inFiurefi, theqkey m-aybe lifted from the ca top'and it vwi-ll-"break clear, atsome pointysuch v V7. 39 V Thatthe key becomes: weak .only at the 'poin-t the can tops by a simple. welding machine. 7 1 process is simplanotbeing affected by the use of drawing, the key l3 havingia finger grip I2 and ize dby a low phosphorous and sulph'ur content. Moreover, the basic steels are much tougher than the Bessemer steelsand may be raised to' the fusion point and then cooled without noticeably altering their strength characteristics.

the high sulphur stock which becomes noticeably weaker at any point of fusion.

The screw stock wire possesses qualities which enable it to be shaped into "the, key form with the eyeletstamped in it. The keys are aflixed to The hot solder or acid flux, and dispenses with one I step in'the making ofjthe key where the welding 7 process is used, namely, the grooving or provision of a thin portion. Also; there is no occasion for flattening the end of the key in order to form a weld.

7 Having thus dle-scribedmy' invention, what I claim as new desire to secure by'Letters' Patentof'theUnited, States is:

ih'lhecombination of a can having a tear I strip and. for usewwithisaid'tear strip akey of high sulphur steel having a liniitedportion therer or fusedto the can-{said fused limited portion of the key being formedof; armaterial substantial of fitsion is established by other breaking oil 2 experiments; one such being; shown l in Figurev l'. InthisfrgureLtheWelded part I 6 .of;the*key i-0 is'breakingflalongaa diagonal,;-and thei conclusion a is? drawn that -.,the. way in whiclrr the fused part1 of the keybrea'ks, depends upon 'therrtwolfactors 'of the clistribution ofsulphur in the metal and I 2: The combinationfof a'canfand a key ma e the, condition" and shape of thBQQIBQtrQdBQItha E' V made the weld." Sulficeitto say, that the, key willbreak from'thecan top atsorne llne running through thefusion'arealsj 1' As forthe range of steels that may be usedfor thiskey, perhaps t herbestj definitionfor the) pur-f I posesof this invention is to describethe'znreithe'ras a metal which may be ,substantially weakened by heating itto' itsfusio-n pointand'thencooling,

orniore narr'owly as a comparatively high -sulphuri steel stock. In support of the latter clefini 'tion; iii-should be Vb'orne'in mind that screw. stock {is commonly derivedfrom steel produced by the .Bessemerlprocesslf Thisfprocess does not remove "the phosphorousliand sulphur-"to that; degree vob V tainecl by-utilizing the open-hearth-process. {The productof the open-hearth-process is generally Ivy .1.)- weaker than tham'aterial ofthe can to w r. 1 said limited portion is fused andsubstantiaily weaker' than -theonaterial of thebalance of the V i key, whereby f orceable separation otthe key and the can wilPcause abreakinginsaid limitedipor V of high'su lphur steel haVi-ngia limited portion r 1 thereof iusedto l the can, :s'aid lim'iteclportion of the key being i0frTLflQ" %S a result of said fusion I ofja crystalline struc'ture of eomparatiyeiy his-h 1 frangibility compared tor-the'struetureiof the bale ance of the key vand to the 'struetureefthercan top to-Iwhich it" aration of Lthe key'from the can will causegabreak I in the limitedpportionef; the key-to occur; r B The'cQmbinatiQno-f andea' key ina ole of S, E. i112 :steel having a limitedportion As men- I 'tioned above, this does not seem to be truevoi fused, whereby forceable sep- 

